17th-century Dutch painting · art-to-room palette

Cephalus and Procris Color Palette & Paint Colors

Six colors measured from Cephalus and Procris by Godfried Schalcken, with their share of the canvas, light reflectance, a room scheme and how the wall color shifts in north, south and evening light.

Quick answer

Put Warm Linen on most walls, use Deep Red for the bed, sofa or curtains, and keep Soft Black to one bold piece. Deep Umber suits floors, wood and frames, and Deep Blue works best in a single textile.

Artist: Godfried Schalcken
Date: probably 1680s
Movement: 17th-century Dutch painting
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 68

Cephalus and Procris by Godfried Schalcken — Godfried Schalcken, *Cephalus and Procris*, probably 1680s. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.

Soft Black

#1B1410 · 69.7% · LRV 1

Ink Umber

#342C24 · 15.5% · LRV 3

Deep Umber

#403325 · 7.7% · LRV 4

Warm Linen

#A4937F · 3.9% · LRV 30

Deep Red

#934631 · 2.3% · LRV 11

Deep Blue

#2F4863 · 0.9% · LRV 6

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

Cephalus and Procris reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Soft Black is strongest — Soft Black

Detail of the painting where Ink Umber is strongest — Ink Umber

Detail of the painting where Deep Umber is strongest — Deep Umber

Detail of the painting where Warm Linen is strongest — Warm Linen

Detail of the painting where Deep Red is strongest — Deep Red

Detail of the painting where Deep Blue is strongest — Deep Blue

Closest paint colors

The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.

Painting color	Closest paints	LRV	Use it for
Soft Black `#1B1410`	Sherwin-Williams SW 6258 Tricorn Black Similar	1	One bold piece
Ink Umber `#342C24`	Behr 790B-7 Bitter Chocolate Close Sherwin-Williams SW 6006 Black Bean Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6011-1 Fired Earth Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Deep Umber `#403325`	Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Close Behr 760B-7 Revival Mahogany Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6010-2 Deep Earth Similar	4	Wood and frames
Warm Linen `#A4937F`	Sherwin-Williams SW 7513 Sanderling Very close Behr PPU7-05 Pure Earth Very close Valspar 6006-2A Stone Manor Very close Farrow & Ball No. 40 Mouse's Back Close	30	Main walls
Deep Red `#934631`	Sherwin-Williams SW 8 Cajun Red Very close Behr S-H-230 Ground Nutmeg Close Valspar 2011-7 Russet Red Close Farrow & Ball No. 42 Picture Gallery Red Similar	11	Bed, sofa, curtains
Deep Blue `#2F4863`	Behr S510-7 Dark Denim Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 9176 Dress Blues Very close Valspar 4009-5 Dark Iris Close Farrow & Ball No. 30 Hague Blue Similar	6	One small textile

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

This painting has no light tone, so the wall color above is a lightened version of its palest color (#E6D5BF).

How the lightest tone looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#CBC4BB

Cool, even daylight pulls colors toward grey. Warm wall tones keep a north-facing room from feeling cold.

South-facing room#ECD9BF

Strong warm sun pushes light colors toward cream by midday. If it reads too yellow, step down to a cooler version.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C4AB8B

Under warm 2700K bulbs colors turn honey-toned and dark colors read almost black. Matte finishes keep the look soft.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes Deep Umber and the rug border takes Deep Blue in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Warm Linen

Deep Red

Soft Black

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

Guides that use colors from this painting

Cream Siding Color Scheme: Off-White Exterior Paint With Trim and Door House exterior · Off-white

More palettes like this

A Young Woman as a Shepherdess Govert Flinck

Vanitas Still Life Edwaert Collier, 1662

A Banquet Dirck Hals, 1628

FAQ

What colors are in Cephalus and Procris?

Measured from the image, the painting's six main colors are Soft Black (#1B1410, 69.7% of the canvas), Ink Umber (#342C24, 15.5% of the canvas), Deep Umber (#403325, 7.7% of the canvas), Warm Linen (#A4937F, 3.9% of the canvas), Deep Red (#934631, 2.3% of the canvas), Deep Blue (#2F4863, 0.9% of the canvas).

Does this palette work in a small room?

Yes. The wall color reflects about 68% of the light that hits it (LRV 68), so it keeps a small room bright. Keep the darkest colors to one piece of furniture or a textile.

Can I use this image on my own mood board?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image as public domain (cc0), so it can be reused freely.

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.